Rail guard



J. BLACKBURN March 13, 1934.

' RAIL GUARD Filed April 8, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY.

March 13, 1934. J, BLACKBURN RAIL GUARD Filed April 8,- 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

March 13, 1934. J BLACKBURN 1,950,965

RA I L GUARD Filed April 8, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Mar. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to road guards and guard rails as commonly arranged at the sides of roads and highways at curves or other dangerouspoints thereupon, for the purpose of pre- ..5 venting accidents to automobiles or other vehicles.

One purpose of the invention is to provide a form of guard structure of the kind referred to which is light and yet strong and durable, and

:10 also economical in point of manufacture.

Another object is to provide such guard structure in the form of rail sections or lengths made of sheet metal or other suitable material of suitable gage, the same being formed arcuate or bowed in cross section for the sake of strength.

Another object is to provide guard or rail sections which are arcuate in cross section, the ends thereof being adapted to overlap, the said ends being also grooved or fluted transversely upon their outer concaved sides, so that the ends may be interlockingly connected, there being provided also a base plate at each joint to which the joint is secured by means of U-bolts positioned in the said flutes of the overlapped ends, the base plate itself being bolted to the conventional guard posts installed along the side of the highway.

With these and such other objects in view as may be developed in the following specification,

*30, attention is directed to the accompanying drawings was exemplifying a preferred embodiment and certain structural features of my invention and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of roadfence or guard constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a frontal elevation on a greatly enlarged scale, of the jointed ends of two guard rails constructed and assembled upon a base plate and reinforcing plate, and secured to a post, all in accordance with my invention, a fragment only of the post being shown.

Figure 3 is a rear view of the assembly shown in Figure 2, the post being removed.

'45 Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure2.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the reinforcing plates.

Figure 8 is a frontal elevation of the jointed ends of two guard rails constructed and joined together upon a base plate and reinforcing plate,

there being shown here an additional locking feature for the ends of the rails.

Figure 9 is a longitudinal section through the assembly of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a frontal elevation of the jointed ends of two guard rails assembled upon a base plate and post, the upper end only of the latter being shown, the reinforcing plate being omitted.

Figure 11 is a section on the line 11-11 of Figure 10.

In the construction of a road guard, a number of posts 1 are set in regularly spaced relation along the side of the highway at the point to be guarded. One or more (usually two) courses of guard rails 2 are then secured horizontally along between these posts, in regular, vertically spaced relation. The form and structural features of the rails 2, together with the means for connecting same together at their ends, and the means for securing them to the posts, constitute the subject of this invention. As contemplated by my invention, the rails 2 are made of equal lengths of strip sheet metal or other suitable material of a length sufiicient not only to span the distance between each pair of posts, but also to overlap those posts at their ends, so that the rails as they are mounted in horizontal alignment upon the posts will mutually overlap at their ends. The strips of sheet metal or other material are of a suitably heavy gage, and are shaped 35 into rails by rolling or otherwise forming them to an arcuate cross section, as shown in the drawings. The ends of each rail are grooved or fluted inwardly at equally spaced points in planes perpendicular to the axis of the rail, thereby forming upon their outer convex surfaces the arcuate grooves 3 and upon their inner concave surfaces the arcuate bosses or beads 4. Thus in the overlapped relation of the rail ends as mounted upon the posts, the bosses 4 at one end of one rail would seat or nest within the grooves or flutes 3 formed in the contiguous end of the adjacent rail. Thus the rails would continuously overlap one another at their ends in a shingle-like relation, and in order to render the seating of the bosses within the grooves as complete as possible, the grooves and bosses at the overlying ends may be formed somewhat smaller than the grooves and bosses at the underlying ends. For securing the jointed ends of two rails to a post 1, a fiat base plate 5 is provided for each such joint, the same being of a width corresponding to the spread of the sides of the rails, the said plates being flanged up as shown at 6 to engage the margins 7 of the sides and prevent their spreading asunder under 0 pressure. The plates are also slotted longitudinally as shown at 8 for adjustment purposes. Each plate 5 is secured to the post by means of a bolt 9 passed through the slot 8 and then through a bore 10 formed through the post, after which the nut 11 is turned down upon the threaded end of the nut.

The plate may be drawn directly up against the face of the post, as shown in Figure 11, or if a resilient cushioning action is desired for the assembly under impact, a suitably heavy coil spring 12 may be interposed between the plate and the post, the same being mounted over the bolt 9. The jointed ends of the rails are then anchored to the base plate by means of U-bolts 13 which embrace the overlapped ends of the rails at the grooves 3, the legs of the bolts being passed through properly aligned holes 14 formed through the plate for that purpose. Nuts 15 are then placed upon the protruding and threaded ends of the U-bolts, whereby the bolts are drawn tightly into the grooves 3, thus locking the assembly firmly together. It will be apparent that with the overlapped ends of the rails thus drawn together with the bosses 4 seated within the grooves 3, the said rails will be very effectually locked against displacement in any direction. The slot 8 in the plate 5 allows for the longitudinal adjustment of the joint relative to the post 1. The joint as described may be reinforced and strengthened by the employment of a reinforcing plate 16 also formed arcuate in cross section and adapted to fit within the concaved side of the joint formed by the overlapped ends of two rails.

This plate 16 is likewise formed with transverse grooves 3' and bosses 4. at its ends, the same being spaced apart so as to register with the corresponding grooves 3 and bosses 4 at the ends of the rails, and the grooves 3' being made large enough to snugly seat the protruding bosses 4 of the rail ends.

The use of such reinforcing plates at the joints, would probably enable the use of metal of lighter gage for the rails proper. If it is found desirable to still further strengthen the joint against longitudinal or lateral stresses, this may be readily done by piercing aligned holes 17 through the overlapped ends of the rails and then striking up tongues 18 from the plate 16 adapted to register with and pass through said holes. Thus a very firm and rigid joint is formed. In lieu of the slotted base plate 5 and U-bolts 13, for adjustably securing the assembly together upon the post 1, the underlying end of the one rail may be slotted, as shown at 19, the overlying end of the other rail as well as the base plate having aligned bolt holes therein, and a straight bolt 13' is then passed directly through the entire assembly including the post, as shown in Figure 11. The bolt hole through the overlying end of the outer rail is preferably countersunk as shown for the sake of uniformity of surface. In such assembly the flanges 6 provided upon the base plate 5, prevent the lateral spreading of the margins of the rails under the drawing stress of the bolt 13. The use of the slotted base plate permits of the lateral adjustment of the assembly as a whole relative to the post. The use of the slotted rail end permits of the longitudinal adjustment of the two rail ends relative to one another. Therefore, it might sometimes be desirable to combine both features in one assembly. It is contemplated that the grooves 3 will be pressed or formed deep enough, so as to completely receive the U-bolts l3. and

so that those bolts will not protrude above the surface of the assembled joint.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the manner of constructing the rails and plates, the subject of this invention, and the method of assembling and mounting them upon the posts in order to form a complete road guard, will be fully understood. vAnd while I have herein described and shown certain forms of structure for the rails and plates, certain structural features of the same, and certain means for assembling and mounting the elements upon posts, it is understood that I may vary the same, or any of them, in details not departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims;

For example, the arcuation of the rails and reinforcing plates may be extended into any desired degree of cylindricity. Or, the said elements might be channeled or formed rectilinear in cross section without varying their function materially.

I claim:

1. In combination, a post, a base plate mounted upon the post, two rails arcuate in cross section arranged in longitudinal alignment with their overlapped and nested ends positioned upon said base plate with their concave sides turned towards the plate, the underlying end of one rail being grooved transversely upon its convex side and the overlying end of the other rail having a boss upon its concave side seated within the said groove of the first named rail, and means for locking the overlapped and nested rail ends to the base plate.

2. In combination, a post, a base plate mounted upon the post, the said plate having vertically spaced bolt holes, two rails arcuate in cross section having the concave sides of their overlapped and nested ends positioned over the base plate, the said overlapped ends being formed with intermeshing bosses and grooves upon their meeting surfaces with grooves showing outwardly upon the convex surface of the overlying end of the outer rail, and a U-bolt seated in said groove with the legs thereof passed through said bolt holes of the base plate.

3. In combination, a post, an apertured base plate bolted to the post through said aperture, the ends of the plate extending beyond the sides of the post and being pierced thereat with vertically spaced bolt holes, an assembly of two rails arcuate in cross section having the parted margins of their overlapped and nested ends positioned upon the base plate in horizontal alignment between the said bolt holes of the plate, the said overlapped ends having longitudinally spaced transverse grooves upon their convex surfaces and complementary bosses upon their concave surfaces, the said bosses of the overlying end of one rail being seated within the registering grooves of the underlying end of the other rail, a reinforcing plate also arcuate in cross section mounted in nested relation within the concave side of the joint formed by the overlapped rail ends, and U-bolts seated within the outer grooves of the overlying rail end, the legs of the U-bolts being passed through said bolt holes of the base plate. I

4. An assembly of a post and two rails with ends arcuate in cross section and thereby arranged in overlapped and nested relation in longitudinal alignment across the'post, the concaved sides of the rail ends being turned towards the post, a base plate interposed between the post and the rail ends, the plate extending beyond the margins of the post and rail ends and having bolt holes through these extended portions, and U-bolts embracing said rail ends, the legs of the bolt being passed through the bolt holes of the plate.

5. An assembly of a post and two rails having ends arcuate in cross section and arranged in overlapped and nested relation longitudinally across the post with their concaved sides towards the post, the said ends being pierced with a plurality of aligned holes, a reinforcing plate arcuate in cross section similarly to the rail ends and positioned in nested relation within the concave side of the joint formed by the nested rail ends, the said plate having tongues struck out and inserted through the said aligned holes of the rail ends, and means for locking the assembly together.

6. An assembly of two rails arranged in longitudinal alignment with overlapped ends, the said ends being arcuate in cross section, one end being apertured and the other slotted, a base plate imposed across the spaced margins of the joint, the same being apertured medially, and a connecting bolt passed through the aligned apertures and slot of the plate and overlapped ends, the lateral margins of the base plate being flanged up to engage the said margins of the joint' 7. In combination, a post, a base plate upon one side of the post, two rails arcuate in transverse cross section at their ends and arranged in longitudinal alignment with their overlapped and nested ends upon the plate, the concaved sides thereof being turned towards the plate, the post being pierced with a bolt hole and the elements of the joint proper being apertured in alignment with the bolt hole of the post, one of the apertures of the joint proper being in the form of an elongated adjustment slot, and a bolt passed through the joint and post.

8. In combination, a post, a base plate upon one side of the post, two rails arcuate in transverse cross section at their ends and arranged in longitudinal alignment With their overlapped and nested ends positioned upon and turned with their concaved sides to the plate, and means for adjustably securing the elements to the post.

9. In combination, a post, a base plate at one side of the post, two rails arcuate in cross section at their ends arranged in longitudinal alignment with their overlapped and nested ends positioned upon and turned with their concaved sides to the plate, and means for securing the plate and overlapped ends to the post, the said means including means for the longitudinal adjustment of at least one of the elements upon and relative to the post.

10. In combination, a post, a base plate at one side of the post, two rails arcuate at their ends in planes cutting the axes of the rails, the rails being arranged in longitudinal alignment across the post with their overlapped and nested ends positioned upon and turned with their concave sides to the plate, and means for securing the plate and overlapped ends to the post, the said means including means for the longitudinal adjustment of at least one of the elements upon and relative to the post.

JASPER BLACKBURN 

